Educational Science

Octopuses 'rewire' their brains to adapt to different ocean temperatures

As the seasons change, octopuses rewire their brains to adapt to fluctuating ocean temperatures, a new study finds. Octopuses and other cephalopods are cold-blooded, or ectothermic, meaning they cannot internally regulate their body temperature. As a result, they are vulnerable to external temperatures in the water, which can threaten the...

4 never-before-seen octopuses discovered in deep sea off Costa Rica

Last month a team of scientists visited an ethereal nursery on the seafloor off Costa Rica, where they watched in awe as a new generation of deep-sea octopuses gently emerged from a quivering cluster of oblong, semitranslucent eggs. Now the researchers have confirmed these deep-sea dwellers are members of an...

A woman in Australia was recently bitten multiple times by a blue-ringed octopus — one of the world's most toxic animals — and lived to tell the tale. Blue-ringed octopuses are a group comprising four species: the greater blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata), the southern blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena maculosa), the blue-lined...

Oldest known sex chromosome emerged 248 million years ago in an octopus ancestor

The oldest known sex chromosome in animals has been discovered, pushing back the date for the evolution of sex chromosomes to between 248 million and 455 million years ago. The ancient chromosome was found in octopus and squid, suggesting that these may have been among the first animals to determine...

Why Are So Many Gray Whales Washing Up Dead on California's Coast?

For a few months twice a year, the waters off California are home to graceful gray whales migrating north or south between the coast of Mexico and the Bering Sea. This year, however, it seems that fewer whales are surviving the journey north. Two dead gray whales washed up on...

A Rare White Whale Has Been Filmed Off the Coast of Mexico

A whale-watching guide struck white gold last month when he encountered a rare, albino gray whale breaching off the west coast of Baja California, Mexico. Footage of the whale, which tour guide and scuba instructor Manuel Gonzalez posted to Facebook in March, has drawn comparisons to Moby Dick, the white...

Watch ghostly dumbo octopus swim with its massive 'ears' in rare new footage

Researchers exploring an underwater mountain in Hawaii's deep sea recently stumbled across a rare, ghostly dumbo octopus — one of the deepest dwelling octopuses on Earth — flapping its large ear-like fins as it swam near the seafloor, a new video reveals. The unidentified species of dumbo octopus, from the...

Scientists discover never-before-seen brain wave after reading octopuses' minds

Octopuses possess a brain wave that has never been seen before in animals, along with others similar to those found in humans, first-of-their-kind brain recordings reveal. The groundbreaking study captured the first ever brain recordings of freely moving octopuses and was performed by implanting electrodes in the animals’ brains and...

How octopuses could have helped avert the Cuban missile crisis

In October 1962, the rules of engagement during the Cold War assumed particular urgency. Soviet nuclear warheads were in Cuba — and ships carrying missiles, launchers, and more warheads were on their way. The U.S. needed to establish new rules to communicate with and relate to the Soviet Union. Gregory...

See extremely rare photos of alien-looking '7-arm octopus' spotted near Washington coast

A diver in Washington has captured stunning photos of a massive, alien-looking octopus in shallow water along the state's coastline. The rarely seen cephalopod, which spends most of its life in the deep sea, had injuries that suggest it may have been recently attacked by a cookiecutter shark. Underwater photographer...